Ball bat with an external wall in the barrel region

ABSTRACT

A ball bat includes a handle and a main barrel. An external wall or sleeve is positioned around the main barrel and separated from the main barrel by a gap. The gap provides a bat barrel with relatively low stiffness and high radial compliance, resulting in performance advantages and improved feel.

BACKGROUND

Ball bats, particularly composite ball bats, have been designed with various stiffness properties to meet the preferences of various players. Many players, for example, prefer the feel and performance of ball bats having barrels that exhibit high compliance and low stiffness. There are challenges, however, in making an effective, durable ball bat having these properties.

SUMMARY

A ball bat includes a handle and a main barrel. An external wall or sleeve is positioned around the main barrel and separated from the main barrel by a gap. The gap provides a bat barrel with relatively low stiffness and high radial compliance, resulting in performance advantages and improved feel. Other features and advantages will appear hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, wherein the same reference number indicates the same element throughout the views:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a ball bat, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a side-sectional view of a barrel portion with an external wall separated from the main barrel by a gap and an end-cap spacer, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a side-sectional view of a barrel portion with an external wall separated from the main barrel by a gap, an end-cap spacer, and spacer rings, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a side-sectional view of a barrel portion with an external wall separated from the main barrel by a gap and a spacer ring near the end cap, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a side-sectional view of a barrel portion with an external wall separated from the main barrel by a gap, a spacer ring near the end cap, and additional spacer rings, according to one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments of the invention will now be described. The following description provides specific details for a thorough understanding and enabling description of these embodiments. One skilled in the art will understand, however, that the invention may be practiced without many of these details. Additionally, some well-known structures or functions may not be shown or described in detail so as to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the relevant description of the various embodiments.

The terminology used in the description presented below is intended to be interpreted in its broadest reasonable manner, even though it is being used in conjunction with a detailed description of certain specific embodiments of the invention. Certain terms may even be emphasized below; however, any terminology intended to be interpreted in any restricted manner will be overtly and specifically defined as such in this detailed description section.

Where the context permits, singular or plural terms may also include the plural or singular term, respectively. Moreover, unless the word “or” is expressly limited to mean only a single item exclusive from the other items in a list of two or more items, then the use of “or” in such a list is to be interpreted as including (a) any single item in the list, (b) all of the items in the list, or (c) any combination of items in the list. Further, unless otherwise specified, terms such as “attached” or “connected” are intended to include integral connections, as well as connections between physically separate components.

Turning now in detail to the drawings, as shown in FIG. 1, the body of a baseball or softball bat 10, hereinafter collectively referred to as a “ball bat” or “bat,” includes a handle 12, a main barrel 14, and a tapered section 16 joining the handle 12 to the barrel 14. The free end of the handle 12 includes a knob 18 or similar structure. The main barrel 14 is preferably closed off by a suitable cap 20 or plug. The interior of the bat 10 is optionally hollow, allowing the bat 10 to be relatively lightweight so that ball players may generate substantial bat speed when swinging the bat 10.

The body of the ball bat 10 may be an integral construction or may include two or more separate attached pieces (e.g., a separate handle and barrel), as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,158, which is incorporated herein by reference. In a two-piece ball bat, for example, the handle 12 and the barrel 14 may each include a portion of the tapered section 16, and they may be in overlapping engagement with each other. As used herein, the “handle” and “barrel” may include portions of the tapered section.

The ball bat 10 is preferably constructed from one or more composite or metallic materials. Some examples of suitable composite materials include fiber-reinforced glass, graphite, boron, carbon, aramid, ceramic, Kevlar, or Astroquartz®. In some embodiments, aluminum or another suitable metallic material may be used to at least construct portions of the ball bat 10. For example, a ball bat having a metal barrel and a composite handle, or a composite barrel and a metal handle, may be used in the embodiments described herein.

The ball bat 10 may have any suitable dimensions. The ball bat 10 may have an overall length of 20 to 40 inches, or 26 to 34 inches. The overall barrel diameter may be 2.0 to 3.0 inches, or 2.25 to 2.75 inches. Typical ball bats have diameters of 2.25, 2.625, or 2.75 inches. Bats having various combinations of these overall lengths and barrel diameters, or any other suitable dimensions, are contemplated herein. The specific preferred combination of bat dimensions is generally dictated by the user of the bat 10, and may vary greatly between users.

As best shown in FIGS. 2-5, an external wall or sleeve 22 is positioned over the main barrel 14. The sleeve 22 may be made of the same material as the main barrel 14 or it may be made of a different material. For example, the sleeve 22 and main barrel 14 may each be made of a composite material, or the main barrel 14 may be made of a metal material while the sleeve 22 may be made of a composite material, and so forth. Regardless, the sleeve 22 effectively acts as an outer or external barrel wall.

The ball striking area of the bat 10 typically extends throughout the length of the outer sleeve 22, and may extend partially into the tapered section 16 of the bat 10. For ease of description, this striking area will generally be referred to as the “barrel” or “barrel region” throughout the remainder of the description. The barrel region generally includes a maximum performance location or “sweet spot,” which is the impact location where the transfer of energy from the bat 10 to a ball is maximal, while the transfer of energy to a player's hands is minimal. The sweet spot is generally located at the bat's center of percussion (COP). Another way to define the sweet spot's location is between the first node of the first bending mode and the second node of the second bending mode. This location, which is typically about four to eight inches from the free end of the bat 10, does not move when the bat is vibrating.

The external sleeve 22 is separated from the main barrel 14 by a gap 24, which facilitates deflection of the sleeve 22 upon contact with a ball. The gap 24 may extend radially any suitable distance, for example, 0.040 to 0.200 inches, thus allowing the sleeve 22 to deflect up to a corresponding distance upon contact. A gap of approximately 0.125 inches, for example, has been found to be effective. This deflection provides increased barrel compliance and lower bat stiffness, resulting in a better feel and improved performance.

The external sleeve 22 may be attached to the tapered section 16 or other region of the ball bat 10 via an elastomeric adhesive 26 or other suitable material. The elastomeric adhesive 26 may extend beyond the mating region of the sleeve 22 to provide a continuous, smooth outer surface 28 of the ball bat at a proximal end of the sleeve 22.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in some embodiments, the end cap 20 includes a inwardly projecting spacer 30 positioned between the external sleeve 22 and the main barrel 14. The spacer 30 maintains the sleeve 22 and the main barrel 14 in a spaced, concentric relationship to each other.

In the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the end cap 20′ does not include an inwardly projecting spacer. Rather, a spacing element 36 is positioned between the sleeve 22 and the barrel 14 at or adjacent to the distal end of the bat 10.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, no additional spacing elements are included in the barrel region of the ball bat 10, such that a continuous gap 24 is present. In the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 5, conversely, two additional rings or spacing elements 32, 34 are included to maintain the desired gap 24 throughout the barrel region and to provide additional structural support and tailored performance and feel characteristics. Any other suitable number of spacing elements may be used.

Any of the spacing elements 32, 34, 36 described herein may be made of metal, plastic, fiber-reinforced plastic, foam, rubber, thermoplastic urethane, or any other material that provides desired feel and performance characteristics. In some embodiments, the gap 24 may be filled, or partially filled, with foam, rubber, thermoplastic urethane, or any other suitable, compliant material.

The sleeve 22 may be mechanically locked to the main barrel 14 or the tapered region 16 to prevent it from sliding off of the main barrel 14 during use. This may be accomplished via a snap-ring configuration, a tongue-and-groove configuration, a projection and a corresponding notch, or any other suitable locking configuration between the sleeve 22 and the main barrel 14. In some embodiments, a tapered end of the sleeve 22 may be in an overlapping, interference fit with the tapered region 16 of the ball bat 10.

Any of the above-described embodiments may be used alone or in combination with one another. Furthermore, the ball bat may include additional features not described herein. While several embodiments have been shown and described, various changes and substitutions may of course be made, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The invention, therefore, should not be limited, except by the following claims and their equivalents. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A ball bat, comprising: a handle and a main barrel oriented longitudinally relative to each other; an external barrel wall positioned over the main barrel and separated from an outer surface of the main barrel by a gap; at least one spacing element positioned between the main barrel and the external barrel wall to hold the main barrel in spaced relationship to the external barrel wall.
 2. The ball bat of claim 1 wherein the gap extends approximately 0.040 to 0.200 inches in a radial direction such that the external barrel wall is separated from the main barrel by this distance.
 3. A ball bat, comprising: a handle and a barrel oriented longitudinally relative to each other; and an external sleeve positioned over the barrel and separated from an outer surface of the barrel by a gap.
 4. The ball bat of claim 3 further comprising an end cap attached to a distal end of the bat, wherein the end cap includes a longitudinally inwardly projecting spacer positioned between the barrel and the external sleeve to hold the barrel in spaced relationship to the external sleeve.
 5. The ball bat of claim 3 further comprising at least one spacing element positioned between the barrel and the external sleeve to hold the barrel in spaced relationship to the external sleeve.
 6. The ball bat of claim 5 wherein the at least one spacing element comprises at least two rings spaced longitudinally from each other.
 7. The ball bat of claim 5 wherein the at least one spacing element is positioned substantially at a distal end of the barrel.
 8. The ball bat of claim 7 wherein the at least one spacing element is the only spacing element positioned between the barrel and the external sleeve.
 9. The ball bat of claim 3 wherein a proximal end of the external sleeve is attached to the barrel or the handle via an elastomeric material.
 10. The ball bat of claim 3 wherein the ball bat further includes a tapered region located longitudinally between the handle and the barrel, wherein a proximal end of the external sleeve is attached to the tapered region via an elastomeric material.
 11. The ball bat of claim 3 wherein the gap extends from a region adjacent to a distal end of the barrel to at least a proximal end of the barrel.
 12. The ball bat of claim 3 wherein the gap extends approximately 0.040 to 0.200 inches in a radial direction such that the external sleeve is separated from the barrel by this distance.
 13. The ball bat of claim 3 wherein the gap is at least partially filled with an elastomeric material.
 14. The ball bat of claim 13 wherein the elastomeric material is selected from the group consisting of foam, rubber, and thermoplastic urethane.
 15. The ball bat of claim 3 wherein the external sleeve is mechanically locked to the barrel.
 16. The ball bat of claim 3 wherein the handle and the barrel comprise a one-piece, integral construction.
 17. The ball bat of claim 3 wherein the barrel comprises a first composite material, and the sleeve comprises a second composite material.
 18. The ball bat of claim 17 wherein the first composite material is the same material as the second composite material.
 19. A ball bat, comprising: a handle and a barrel oriented longitudinally relative to each other; and an outer wall positioned over the barrel and separated from an outer surface of the barrel by a gap; and means for physically separating at least a portion of the outer wall from at least a portion of the barrel.
 20. The ball bat of claim 19 wherein the gap extends approximately 0.040 to 0.200 inches in a radial direction such that the outer wall is separated from the barrel by this distance. 